"Build it and they will come" - Quote from Field Of Dreams
I imagine the possibility of that happening improves slightly if they are aware that you exist, right?
As Patricia Twitchell writes in her article about opening her dream store,
You can have the greatest product or service, but if no one knows you exist, you will be hard pressed to succeed...Just because you open your doors does not mean you get a flood of people coming in.
So how do you get those floods of people? I guess that's the million-dollar question, but I'm betting that advertising to the right group of people has a lot to do with it.
Although I have been advertising, I've been allowing myself to be guided by price, placing inexpensive ads wherever I could, rather than concentrating on venues where my target market is likely to see them.
So, what are some more effective things that I could do?
1. Since my spot in the mall is at one of the ends, I need to make my store more visible from a distance. Hopefully this will entice people to walk down and see what I have to offer.
2. Partner with related, but different, businesses. For instance, I could offer to let a Mexican restaurant display a nice piece of art if they will make my business cards available to their customers, or I could offer to send thank-you notes on a travel agent's behalf to customers who have just returned from Mexico and include an unobtrusive ad.
3. Joan Stewart suggests some imaginative ways to get free publicity in your local newspaper or on the radio.
What are some different or unusual things that you have done to advertise your business? And what were the results?
You’re certainly off to a good start. Online directories that target local customer niches often work in today’s internet savvy consumer markets. You might even consider a blog or interactive website with a store. Not only can you target local markets you will attract a sensible amount of customers from other areas.
If there are local associations that are in someway connected to your products an ad in their membership newsletter works great or perhaps offering a small seminar for their members where you get to feature your store or service. These are just a few.
Always remember getting them thee is one battle keeping them is even tougher. It would be good to design an overall customer experience strategy that included your marketing efforts. http://customerdevelopmentcenter.com
Don’t forget the power of the opt in newsletter. They can be generated by an on the counter registry or by collecting business cards. If you have a web site or blog these also can become a sign up source. With these you can develop and design your own newsletter and email campaigns to keep your customers abreast of tips, information and new products.
http://smallbusinessinternetmarketingcenter.com/mail_center.htm
Posted by: Tim Whelan | April 22, 2006 8:04 AM | Permalink to Comment